Australian Eastenders

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I really struggled with this book, it was like listening to an Australian version of Eastenders, every character or family was having there own drama dealing with sex, drugs, alcoholism, violence or old age. Which on that basis you'd think it was interesting, but going from one character to the next, it just didn't work for me, especially as some scenes seemed written just for affect and didn't add to the story at all.

Also a friend who read the book asked if men really think like that when it comes to sex. I can't speak for all men, but this one doesn't :)

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Very real

I watched the recent tv portrayal of this book and was so intrigued I ordered the download. I'm glad I did. the characters have been so richly formed that you can form an instant disliking/liking to them. I only have one criticism, the gratuitous use of the c word, I doubt in real life the average 40somehing female uses it so often. It didn't offend me so much as annoy me. Wasnt needed. Also it's a credit to the tv show that this book was so closely followed. An accurate portrayal

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Mixed Feelings

Didn't like any of the characters or the story but somehow I couldn't stop listening to it until the end. It was strangely quite good - but very graphic and lots of bad language which wasn't really necessary.

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Disappointing

There was a lot of unnecessary and seemingly pointless stuff in the book, but I thought the characters were very well rounded and it was amusing.

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A Fine Piece Of Storytelling.

When you begin to read a book, and you find that it is liberally splattered with a word that you find very objectionable, when the story seems to be meandering along at no great pace, and when, furthermore, the book treats with a group of characters who are, in this reviewer's opinion, with very few exceptions, a rather unpleasant bunch, it says something for the author's storytelling abilities that I became interested enough in these awful people to want to know what happened to them in the end.

So, here we have a gathering of family and friends at a barbecue given by an arrogant, lustful civil servant and his snitty veterinarian wife. During the barbecue, an unbearably bratty child provokes a fellow guest past endurance, and gets a slap. The resulting furore is told from the point of view of several of the people at the barbecue, whose lives seem to have been changed by this seemingly small incident.

On the book's pro side, the story is very well told, the characters are well drawn, and I was made to think about my own opinions and attitudes, which is always a good thing. The naration was also beautifully done indeed!

On the con side, If you're easily shockable, this is not the book for you. There is very strong language, including liberal use of the C word throughout, graphic sex and a bit too much info about bodily functions.

All in all, I'm glad I wasn't put off by some bad reviews, and tried it for myself. A good read.

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10 people found this helpful

Everybody needs neighbours

I suppose the language could offend some but the characters are incredibly well drawn and their interactions give a vivid insight into life in contemporary, multi cultural Australia. Ramsay Street this is not! The issues tackled are many and complex but the skill of the story teller keeps you involved. Differences of attitude across generations underpin the narrative, be they attitudes to family, parenting, friendship or sex. The central event - the slap of the title is used as a device to explore the motivations of a diverse group of friends, all of whom seem to have some axe or another to grind. I thought that the writing was clever and perceptive, a contrast to the boorish behaviour of one or two of the characters.

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5 people found this helpful

disappointing

Saw this was long listed for the Booker. Read the 1st page in a book shop and thought it looked interesting. It wasn't. Felt no connection with any of the characters; the female characters are particulaly cartoon-like and all seem to crave sex at evry opportunity! The prose is laboured and it all seems very unimaginative and pointless.

Not recommended

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7 people found this helpful

Entertains but disappointing

The story is less predictable than expected but it suffers from not having any likeable characters. The child is a little horror so worth reading for that alone .

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1 person found this helpful

I don't know much about what I like but I know I

don't like art.
Every time I choose one of these books that have been given loads of awards I'm always disappointed.
This is much too long, going off on all sorts of tangents that the story doesn't need and, frankly, neither do I.
I think this book is meant to be insightful; giving us a inner view of the lives of others. I can only think that the awards panellists have been too busy reading books to see life for themselves.
And the language! No I don't mean the frank, sexual language, I mean phrases like "eat with gusto" and "ample bosom". That's the language of books not real life.
Finally, the crowning sin of language: "dancing like spastics". He should have said "Dancing like niggers". No less derogatory or insulting, but with the benefit of being more descriptive - my son suffers from spasticity; he can't even stand, yet alone dance.

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too much padding

The premise of the story was good and the first 2/3 was pertinent but then there was a lot of background and tangential stuff that didn't add to the story/plot or to the characters in a meaningful way. The men were all sexist and chauvanistic and the women were all co-dependent, even when they thought they were independent. The narrator was very good.

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6 people found this helpful